Pousada de Santa Marinha
Santa Marinha - Guimaraes Pousada is located about 1km from the city center of Guimaraes, birthplace town of Portugal. Pousada of Santa Marinha, proud and majestic, is a relic of the golden times of monasteries, and sits on an hillside overlooking the dazzling valley and the city.
The monastery devoted to Christian religion, probably dates back to the beginning of the Christian reconquest (by the end of the 9Th century).
The circumstances of the original monastery's occupation are still unknown. It may have taken place before the Arabic conquest. Some elements from the late-roman era were already identified. It is also known that an invasion of Guimaraes by pagans, between the year 959 and 968, brought some important repairs and fortifications work, hence, it might have served as a fortress during the disturbed times of the Almansor campaigns.
According to an old tradition, the monastery was been donated by D. Mafalda (wife of king D. Afonso Henriques - first king of Portugal) to the canons of Saint Augustin order (1154). Its function would be related to a vow made by D. Mafalda in honor of the virgin and martyr Santa Marinha, saint advocate of parturient women.
In the museum Alberto Sampaio there is an image of Santa Marinha, a French sculpture, most probably a twin-copy of Saint Catherine of the Church of Notre-Dame de Couetrai in Belgium.
A few architectural elements from the pre-roman period survived. The most important is the foundation of a tower with a typically Moorish-Arabic door. This door is well preserved and positioned at the Northwest corner of the cloister, which is in itself a masterpiece of elegance, serenity, and harmony. It was once the main entrance to the monastery, a charmingly simple door, of great architectural interest. Owing to the purity of its lines and good taste of its ornamentation, it is now the most perfect Moorish-Arabic element among the few ones still existing in Portugal.
Several signs of the Romanesque, Gothic, and Classic architecture can bee seen over the main building, living documents that date back to the 7th century.
In 1951, the big east wing underwent an enormous fire where nothing but the Chapter Hall and the Frei Jerónimo veranda survived. This fire destroyed forever a patrimony of incommensurable value, especially the rich and large set of azulejos (glazed tiles) panels covering the walls of the big gallery where now the sleeping-rooms are (corresponding to the former cells of the monks). This are not ordinary azulejos, the background is blue instead of the drawings, in white and gold. The lost azulejos and the remaining ones do not represent saints’ virtues or miracles, showing war and society scenes with no religious ideology. The decorative power of the azulejos was more important than the themes.
Dated from 1747, the azulejos represent a beautiful set of pictures of the life in Portugal in the 18th century: banquets, shepherds, elephant and wild boar hunting, games, concerts, fishing practices, and the classic theatre. Remarkable of their characteristic and movement, these azulejos cover the staircase that leads to the Chapter Hall, the Chapter Hall, and the Frei Jerónimo veranda.
There are also other charming places, like the superb gardens ranked among the best Portuguese gardens. A magnificent stone staircase and an artificial lake can be found among the trees. The Frei Feronimo’s balcony is a real open-air hall.
The church, with its remarkable set of religious sculpture works and important ornamentation consisting of golden and polychromatic wood-carving works, a museum that possesses some good paintings and extraordinary furniture.
The Augustin monks have built a set consisting of four wings, including the church, surrounding the cloister. The building didn’t suffer any important changes until the Jeronimus Fathers occupied the existing monastery. But the difficulties that the religious orders had to face lead the building to private property in 1834. In 1972 the state acquire it and rebuilding works and construction of new areas, according to a project that aimed at the transformation of this building into a hotel unit, began by the end of the 70’s.
The grounds of the ancient monastery of Santa Marinha lie in a small geographical shell crossed by a stream, on the west face of Penha Mountain, overlooking the city of Guimaraes. It hosts a rare combination of plants and trees, including species of note, in addition to the architecture accumulated over the years, creating a particularly interesting landscape.
In essence, the grounds consist of a garden of box hedges, in the lower part, several groves of leafy trees lining the main paths and upper flight of steps, a number of copses in various places, whilst a small oak wood, which includes many noteworthy wild shrubs and herbaceous plants, occupies the upper level. Water from an underground spring, located inside the grounds, flows into a circular tank at the top of the garden, as well as a restored mill.
While blending in very well with the natural surroundings, it also reflects man’s continual efforts. The relationship with the ancient monastery building suggests a balancing act between man and nature, complementing each other in Baroque style. The grounds appear to be a fresh, leafy island, forming a special place, of which we must take full advantage.
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